Flukers is expensive for crickets. We don't recommend flukers or supporting them only because they're pretty bad with some of their product lines. I'm sorry I can't offhand list a website where you could get crickets for cheaper - someone else can help out (can't order crickets from USA to Canada, so don't look up the sites) Reptilesupply is a great place to get stuff, you can also check out www.reptileuv.com They have the same brands, but it's the same price, so either one you're more comfortable with. Reptileuv is a smaller company (from what i hear), but I've been reassured you won't be sorry for ordering from them. I currently have 2 megaray 100 watts on the way to me
I've read here as well that people are not happy with them at all for there animal line as well as some other things...I will keep checking around..the price above was including overnight shipping of course..shall see how they arrive...ive got my current smaller cricks in a 5.5 gallon with food and that jelly water stuff. So far today all the little thing had was a mealie that I was more curious then anything if it would eat. I was cleaning out my other cages and refilling my geckos dishes and tried it out...took at the remaing cricks from this morning that it didnt eat...I hope its not one of those I hate cricks dragons...its more or less still just settling in..and will give it a few days and keep to my routine.. Before I leave work I stick about 10 in the cage...this is about an hour after the light turns out...I take out the rest thats not used...leave the veggies in the cage and later on about 7ish I do it again...its work but its fun and well worth it. I am finding this to not only be entertaining but rewarding knowing that its another animal that you can take in and provide a healthy life for...that along with the 3 cats...2 fish (ones on my desk at work)...3 leos...2 afts...3 cresties (I love those guys too!) and well tomorrow about 1100 cricks... Darn pet store around here but tastefully done If any newbies are thinking about getting a little one like mine please understand as I noted and detail...there is work to be done each day for them...so its more then an investment...Dont just get one to get one and think there is not a lot of work to be done...its not but enough to keep diligent over.
Be sure you don't feed mealies at all. They're very difficult for dragons to digest, and have caused numerous cases of impaction. Dragons will very naturally love worms WAY more than crickets altogether. Not sure why, it's just the way it is. Generally keep feeding him crix, once he's up to his 30-100 or so he should do fine. Dragons are incredibly rewarding and I'm glad you feel so already! They're special little creatures whom are just too loveable for words
Hello Hello, Great, it sounds like you are already having lots of fun with your new dragon. Give him some time to get adjusted & he will take to crickets they usually do. You can also try the phoenix worms, too along with the crickets, & as Daggerlover said steer clear of the mealies right now. What are you going to be feeding your crickets? Can you order from cricketfood.com? The babies & juvies, they do need a bit higher heat. We recommend from 95-110 for basking ranges & the adults you can lower it down to 105. They tend not to like it quite as hot. Are you planning on using a dimmer with the Megaray? I wouldn't recommend doing that, it is hard on the bulb & could cause it to burn out. Things sound like they are going very well. Keep us posted. Tracie
After reading more about the dimmer you are right...and of course the mealie thing is right too...right now by watt bulb holds the temp about 95 or so which is 10 degrees less then what I need...and its a 60 watt bulb too. I'm going to have to get some rigged up so that the bulb overhangs the cage instead of clipping on which would possibly dilute the lighting... was gonna try and give the little one a bath tonight but its down for the count now getting much needed rest..will try tomorrow...geckos are up and about so ive gotta take care of them now...its a 24/7 rep fest! Ive got the cricks on some unused flucker crick food with the jelly water...only reason I am using it is because I have had it for a while...not to long when I originally set up my geckos...well the geckos took to the mealies so I never invested to heavily on cricks...I hope that the little guy eventually takes to the 50-100 cricks a day deal...I wouldnt mind that at all....its all a work in progress...tomorrow I need to grab a new gram scale...the one I have is not working right for some reason...I am sure lowes or some hardware place will have one around... thanks again for the tips...its nice to bounce things around...good to remind one about the dos and donts even if you knew them but happened to forget or overlook...
Definitely Since you're relatively new, we don't know what your knowledge of beardies expands to either, so we just want to be sure all the bases are totally covered. You're doing great. 95 is technically high enough for them to digest at, however, 100 -110 is always recommended for babies as they need the higher heat to thrive
small update...keeping a close eye on the little one here. Awaiting my light to get in..should be within a couple days..went out however and bought an overhead 18in light and the repti glo 8.0 light..unless stated otherwise I am going to use this light along with the mega ray when that arrives...don't know if the animal can get to much uvb light? So far I am figuring out how to mount something on the inside but coming up with no luck...so by having both on it should work out pretty well through the screen? Taking a stab in the dark on that one...when and hopefully when the little guy gets bigger the expanded cage will have this all worked out..that I can promise. recieved my shipment of cricks today...however the little one hasn't eatin any for about a couple days now...possibly lack of uvb light is causing this....concerned though but it looks like it did poo. Veggies in a small reachable bowl are refreshed every day but it hasn't touched it yet... Anyways here I am hoping that the UVB light will help and now that its getting used to me it will start to eat...I want to setup an outside feeder cage...didnt work with my leos so I am hopeful that the little one will take better to it..so far no luck so still crossing fingers. when I arrived home from work and the little guy looked darker then when I purchased it...seems that this is not a good thing and from what I have read it could mean stress? Maybe just getting older? temps are around 95-105 and it seems to enjoy basking. Sleeps on the cooler side of the tank every night...I have the lights on from 8am-10pm and turned off all lights and heat..temps drop to around 65-70 @ night...just giving some fyi. I let the little one soak for about 10min tonight in a shallow dish of water...didnt want to move or do anything...probably afraid for its life..afterwards it did dose off for a little bit until I put it back in the cage. I guess I can't be blamed for not trying...just updating. :?
The Mega-Ray will be sufficient by itself and you will not need the Repti-Glo bulb you purchased. It is possible for them to "overdose" so to speak on UV light. The mega-ray will also supply most of the heating your dragon will require. It is recommended that you mount the Mega-Ray at least 12" from your beardies basking area. Your beardie may be experiencing relocation stress and this may be the cause of his lack of appetite, I don't think it is anything to worry about just yet. Remember, after bathing you should completely dry your beardie before putting him back in his enclosure. Your nighttime temps are fine and it will not require an additional heat source. It sounds to me like you are doing a fantastic job, the advice given by Daggerlover and Drache is right on the money also. You can't go wrong caring for your beardie in the manner they described. Keep us updated and post some pics! Take care, Chris
Hello Hello, Thanks for the updates. You can use the reptiglo 8.0 until you get your megaray but once you get that in it will produce plenty of heat & UVB for now. As Spindlehead stated, you can overdo it on the UVB. What you can do is once you upgrade to a larger tank, you can put in the reptiglo 8.0 for extra lighting for the length of the tank so it is nice & bright. By that time, the UVB of the tube bulb will be diminished a bit but the light will still work, more than likely so it can just be used for extra lighting. Do you leave a waterdish in his tank overnight? If so, it would be a good idea to take it out overnight just so he doesn't accidentally fall asleep in his water dish & drown. I would hate for that to happen. They are very sound sleepers, too. So, he didn't exactly like his first bath, huh? If you are persistent with them, he will eventually learn to enjoy them. He could still be going through some relocation stress. You said your temps were about 105? You could still safely raise them to 110, but no higher. Babies tend to like it a bit warmer, as they don't have very much body mass & it takes them longer to heat up & they don't retain heat as well as adults do. That is why baths are recommended daily because they can dehydrate being at higher temps. Keep updating us. I hope you get your Megaray soon. Are you mounting the Megaray through screen? Remember that does filter out the UVB rays. Can you figure a way to mount it other than on top of the screen? Tracie
I ordered the ray sat evening...when I found out I couldnt find one around my area. It was shipped out Monday with 2-3 day shipping...so either today or tomorrow. I purchased the lighting and mount for the now purpose and more then likely will return it once I get my light... The cage I have the little guy in is the 20long reptile one I purchased a while ago..I will spend the money on something better and larger when the time comes to get the little one moved up...and hence finding a cage where I can mount the UVB light inside. I have searched around for some kind of small light fixture I could mount to the inside of the cage...preference here is an 18" long bulb but so far I haven't found one small enough to mount to the inside There is no water dish inside the cage right now because I have been misting the little guy 3-5 times a day and then last night was the beginning of bathing (or at least sitting in the water). I also have heard that the dish is more like a waste right now because the little ones won't take to drinking out of one...heck it won't take to eating the way it should either.. When I first brought it home and put a couple cricks in the cage it was up on the log basking..saw the cricks and immediately went after a couple and thats been about it. You are right about them being sound sleepers. Every night so far hes headed towards the cooler side of the tank in a small area to sleep, behind a fake rock thing. I turned on the lights the morning and it didn't really move for a little while..so I moved him over to bask...once there it was perked up. Didn't eat any cricks again this morning but will try again after work. I may resort to putting a few in the cage and seeing what happens. I have been trying the feeder and the cage with no success. I leave no cricks in overnight. Hopefully it comes around to his new enviroment with the uvb bulb on it now...first full day with both lights on...crossing fingers later on tonight things will be better at feeding too...once I know the little ones feeding then the rest will fall into place...(crossing fingers here).
Water dishes are completely unnecessary. They raise the humidity in the tank, which can cause severe/deadly respiratory infections, and dragon's don't really learn to drink from dishes anyway. Babies will frequently fall asleep in them, and can drown. Dragons would just as soon use the waterdish as a toilet than a drinking source You'll probably want to move your guy up within 2 months or so depending on how well he's eating/adjusting. Dragons grow unbelievably fast (mine grew from 7" to 14" in two months!), and need the size as soon as they hit that spurt. In other words, you'll probably want to start having a look now. It's easy to find lots of good deal large terrariums (65 breeder or larger) on craigslist.com or any other type of "used items" sale list you may have in your area. There's no absolute need for a brand new one, just if you do buy used, be sure you bleach-disinfect it and let it sit outside (if you can) to air out so the bleach fumes won't harm your baby. This way if the person previously had fish or even other reptiles, it will completely kill the bacteria left in there. As for your dragon not eating correctly, I'd suggest you take a fecal into the vet for a fecal smear. This is important to determine your dragon does not have parasites. Adjustment to the new environment can also cause lack of eating - if it's been over a week since you've had him, he should be eating well now. Your dragon being transferred over to an eating container can stress him out as well. I encourage you to keep it up - your dragon will soon realize that is how he's going to get food. Generally dragons will not let themselves starve. Hoping to hear a good report on feeding tonight!
Daggerlover thanks again for the info..when I get home from work here my attention goes right to the little one and the rest...my other lizards but 1 are doing good...but that one leo is back eating cricks again. I knew I was getting myself into a predicament getting one so small and of course from a chain... I will feed it in the cage tonight and see what happens...and hopefully the light will be in as well.
Update...probably tired of the play by play call here..but Got home...recieved my light...turned it on...all is well. I was reading into the studies of the uvb light and well its more then true...the little ones up and about tonight for then any other day or night...temps with the light on are running @102 or so directly on the ground over the light...seems a bit low for a 100watt? My other light was getting the temps over 110...interesting.. Anyways The little one had 10 cricks tonight...took the rest out but forgot about a couple stragglers...well the little one found them and ate them up...im going to put some more in to see what will happen. I gave it a bath as well and for the first time was licking the water that was dipped on its head and nose...always a good sign. So from the looks of it...20 cricks a day right now and hopefully will rise... I have been looking around for a larger tank...I have posted some items on craigslist but after a while you get sick of the Nigerian fraud emails...but will continue to look. If anyone knows a good price on those vision cages let me know or any they prefer besides building there own, which unfortunately I don't have the tools to do so. The little one is about 5.25" long from nose to tail right now...im am sure no heavier then a few grams.
well sounds better..at least he is eating now. I guess he's pretty happy about his new light =). It's good that he got over his stress a little and has taken to eating. GOOD LUCK =)
Glad to hear things are picking up. Soon he'll eat you outta house and home (although that's not a bad thing because it's crickets he's eating!). I actually really am enjoying your play by play! It keeps my day at work busy and it's always really nice to see a new owner paying so much attention to little details
Really glad to hear your light arrived and all seems well with your little one. I am sure that sooner rather than later he will be eating 20 crickets as an appetizer LOL. At one point my beardie was eating 75 a day. Of course his diet mainly consists of greens now but when live feeding time comes he goes crazy! You are doing a great job, keep it up.
Out of any days Thursdays are the roughest..with Mondays being 2nd to that...anyways no big new today. Unfortunately this morning I had some issues not pertaining to keeping an eye on my beardie but it did affect it some...generally all is well around the house..needless to say I put in some cricks in the cage and it immediately took to one..put some more in...staired at them but did nothing...since I didnt put a lot in i figured they would be ok in the cage for the day...came home later on to find none of them eatin at all...so I took them out...the cricks that I bought were a lot smaller then I realized they would be...so they seem like little shrimp running around the cage. I will not buy from flukers again but if anyone does dont buy the 2 week old..3 week would be better. Tomorrow morning will be much better to keep an eye on everything and to make sure all goes well which will include fresh veggies, cricks and some water. In regards to the water and hydration..I found a new trick tonight..when I took the little one out of the cage and sprayed it I noticed some water bubbled up at the end of the sprayer...well I put it up right against the nose of it and it took to it very well. I think it can be made that using a dropper is better then using the spraying method for babies. I am planning on getting a small dropper at the store tomorrow night while shopping and using that...that will also help later on take fluids if it ever gets sick and I need to use it...point here made by others and in the care sheet..and I am sure it will prove to be true later on in life to make the animal feel comfortable taking fluids from you. From the pics that I have seen it looks like this little guy is only a few weeks old...talking about maybe 2-3 weeks if that...I am not about to get on a petco rant here but...selling these guys off so young like they are not providing proper care and health to them...calci sand as a substrate...not enough food...so on so forth...drives me nuts. Either this one was the runt of the litter which I doubt or just young...just by looking at the pics it was really young..anyways enough with the ranting here. Thank you again for the kind words and im glad you enjoy the posts. Maybe it will give some info for beginners like myself as to what is all involved. Last dumb Q...by the pics, which of course aren't the greatest, but this little guy looks more like a normal beardie then a rankins right? The more and more I look at the pics...and knowing how small it is, I am just wondering. If needed I will try and get more pics later. It does look like it will have a beard underneath but not being as knowledgeable as most around here please forgive me ignorance... :?
Here is a great place to get crixs: http://www.ghann.com I have been ordering from them for a while now and no complants yet! I had one order where there were like 300-500 out of 2000 dead and called them up, they sent out 1500 to me free of charge! I was like ok wow I thought they would only send me the crixs that I lost but nope they sent me the whole bunch again and free of charge. That was the only time there were any dead and I think it was because it was so cold here at the time. The smallest amount you can get at Ghann's is 500, if that is too much then you can get as little as 50 from here but I think it is cheaper at Ghann's scrole down to see the crixs: http://www.mulberryfarms.com/super2.htm I have only used them once for silkies (which Spike wouldnt eat) but they were all alive and well.
Great job Hello, You are doing an awesome job & thanks for all of the updates for us. We appreciate it & he is so lucky to have someone so attentive to him. He is very very young. He appears to be a regular bearded dragon, & not a rankin's dragon. I am excited that your Megaray already got to you. What are your temps getting to now, 102 is that what you had said? He may need it just a bit warmer since he is so young. He is on the road to eating alot, real soon! How are his stools, are they normal? That is one thing you want to watch for right now, to make sure he doesn't have parasites from being on sand at the store. If his appetite picks up & his stress levels are low, then, he may be able to fight off any parasite in his system if the levels are low enough. I would hate to see such a tiny dragon being medicated if it's not absolutely necessary. As suggested, if his appetite doesn't pick up, or he has unusually runny & smelly stools, you should take in a fecal sample to get tested. You are doing great. Please keep asking questions. Keep updating us as well. Thanks. Tracie
The stools look ok...nothing runny or odd looking. Yesterday I had the screen top of the cage open to allow the basking light to take full affect. Every morning I turn the light on around 8am and about 9 I start to tend to it. I put a crick in 1 by 1 and it didn't want to touch any of them. I put fresh veggies in and even tried to use the dropper method as I found last night and it didnt want anything to do with it...I will try again later but the morning routine needs to be nailed down a bit...it looks like right now its a few cricks every other day...sounds to be normal? I have noticed that the colors get brighter when warmer or when "happier". Right now it looks like its being a picky eater more then anything. Now that I am not making any changes to the cage as well as the feeding and lighting schedule is almost set hopefully things will be better. Just one of those typical concerned beardie owners driving everyone nuts :roll:
